Imagine going on a treasure hunt with a TV crew behind you. This is exactly the case of 39-year-old James Howells. Howells is an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, who admittedly lost a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoins he mined back in 2009. This lost treasure is currently worth £570 million.
Since this loss, he’s been trying to retrieve the hard drive by employing various legal means. He believes the hard drive is buried in the Newport landfill and wants to go all in to dig and search for the hidden treasure.
However, after a series of court appearances without fruitful results, Howells’ story has now transformed from a locally-based news story to a global interest. A Los Angeles-based entertainment company, LEBUL, just secured the rights to produce a docuseries inspired by Howells’ story. Can this be a turnaround for him?
The Genesis of Howells’ Story: How It All Began
Bitcoin became the first decentralised cryptocurrency towards the end of 2008. Back then, not many people had bought into the idea of mining coins. On the other hand, Howells was one of the earliest enthusiasts and started mining in 2009.
In 2013, Howells lived with his then-partner, Haffina Eddy-Evans, and their three children. During this time, he had successfully mined about 8,000 bitcoins. Back then, Bitcoin enthusiasts like Howells used to save the cryptographic private key that allowed them access to their mined coins on a hard drive. Howells had two such hard drives, but he kept the mined Bitcoin on just one.
One day, Howells decided to clean up his space. He mistakenly disposed of the hard drive with the cryptographic private key, thinking it was the other one. He then asked his wife to take the trash to a landfill near their home in Newport, Wales.
Many years later, he realised the mistake and was set to regain the hard drive if granted access to excavate the landfill. This is a life lesson for everyone to review and check carefully before making decisions. When making decisions, especially financial ones, it’s important to take your time and consider all the options carefully. If you want to make wise investment choices, you can look here for a guide on approaching online casinos with minimal deposits and reduced risk.
Howells’ Chronicles: Search Attempts and Legal Pursuits of the Lost Bitcoin
Howells had tried everything possible to find the lost hard drive. However, it was met with several forms of resistance. Below are notable actions he has taken:
Technological Endeavour
After a series of back-and-forths in 2017 with the Newport City council on gaining access to the landfill to obtain his hard drive, he was rejected. Howells proposed excavating the land, but was refused because of the environmental impact such an activity would have.
Howells also proposed offering 25% of the proceeds of his hunt, approximately £200 million, to the council and the people of Newport, just so he could access the landfill. This too was denied.
Frustrated by their constant rejection, Howells created a team for himself, including AI specialists, landfill excavation experts, and data recovery advisors. The plan was to employ mechanical and AI-based machinery like drones and robotic security dogs to scan the landfill and pinpoint where the hard drive could be located.
Financial Propositions
Having tried everything he could to access the landfill and been refused, Howells has simply opted to buy it. He made this known through a recent post on X, where he wrote, “I’m considering buying a landfill site. Funding secured.” This came after the Newport City Council proposed to close down the site in the 2025/2026 financial year, even though they have refused to comment further on this plan.
Legal Battles
In 2023, Howells’ legal team published an open letter to the Newport City Council, requesting a judicial review of their decision not to grant their client access to the landfill or be ready to go to court. In October 2024, Howells sued the council for £495 million since the content of the hard drive then was valued at $750 million. He also sued to assert the intellectual right to the hard drive. This is because the council argued that the drive belongs to them legally since it was deposited in the landfill.
In December 2024, the case was taken to the High Court in Newport. The lawyers representing the council argued that Howells had attempted to bribe the council, referencing his earlier decision to offer 25% of the proceeds from the drive when it was obtained.
On the 9th of January, 2025, the court gave its judgment and dismissed the case. The court claimed that Howells had no realistic chance of succeeding in his hunt. To understand the scale of his loss, the table below reveals the prices of Bitcoin starting from the year he began mining down to 2025:
| Year | Bitcoin Price (£) | Value of 8,000 BTC |
| 2009 | <£0.01 | <£80 |
| 2013 | Approximately £100 | £800,000 |
| 2017 | Approximately £11,250 | £90 million |
| 2021 | Approximately £35,250 | £282 million |
| 2025 | Approximately £71,340 | £570 million |
Involving the Media: The Upcoming Docuseries
Following the High Court’s judgement in January, James Howells’ case gained considerable traction, especially among the media. He claimed that many production companies, including BAFTA and Emmy-winning, had shown interest in filming a documentary about it.
However, he reportedly turned down every offer. He only gave the exclusive rights to the Los Angeles-based entertainment company, LEBUL, to film the documentary. His reason for this decision is that the company was willing to support his objective of acquiring the landfill.
The docuseries has been titled “The Buried Bitcoin: The Real-Life Treasure Hunt of James Howells.” Reese Van Allen, the executive producer at LEBUL, has promised not just to make a docuseries of Howells’ story but also a podcast and short-form content, showcasing the early days of Bitcoin, how Howells started mining, his legal battle to obtain the hard drive, his high-tech plan to excavate the landfill and what he intends to use it for after he has acquired it.
According to Howells, the docuseries will be filmed during the summer and will be released in October or November.
Conclusion
James Howells’ story has become an international spotlight with the docuseries on the horizon. Whether or not he ever discovers his treasure, his story highlights how an error in the digital space can greatly affect many things. His story, though not yet filmed, has made history and will soon be available for everyone to see.
